The new news 24 thread

[SiC]

10 minutes ago, Jmac said:

Battery double trouble. Corrolla battery fully charged on Thursday night flat by Sunday , damm . New lion battery from ECP £45 delivered . 

I thought I may as well charge the van battery it's been parked for weeks and the charger was unpacked . The battery lives under a cover and I have not looked under it for years . It was a bit of luck really as the just out of guarantee yuasa battery has started to swell/expand/weep acid around the + terminal , dripping onto the battery tray . Sorted the rust on it and sprayed black . Varta silver battery £89.99 + delivery that can wait until I need the van for work again . 

Why is your "Green Fizz" purple?

[Jmac]

@SiCyes it's a recycled pump spray , the "green fizz" cleaner was not fizzy not that green and not that good a cleaner!

its filled with Muc-Off motorcycle cleaner , which is a fantastic cleaner on most things house and car . Highly recommended by me . Got 5ltrs from a motorcycle shop called " Helmet City " made me chuckle.

[captain_70s]

I've been fucking around with Not Cars for a change.

Firstly, this:

It's a 1973 Hitachi FM radtio/8-track stereo. The cart player wasn't working very well and all of my 8-tracks had fucked pressure pads. Getting into the things is fun*.

Low density upholstering foam cut to size and fixed in place with two blobs of adhesive and a layer of tape on top seems to work.

Replaced the belt and oiled some of the moving parts and cleaned/realigned the tape head. The big drivewheel drifts back and forth more than I think it should and the player runs slow, this might be because it's currently running a cassette player belt which is much narrower than the original and might not have the grip to spin such a large wheel. It could also be because the wheel is drifting backwards into the stop and dragging. Can't find a speed adjust screw on the motor so this is as good as it gets for now.

Next up was this 'in car' unit:

This has a broken locating wheel which I'll need to replace somehow... Don't suppose anybody knows where I could acquire a 1cm diameter nylon wheel?

Both really sound exceptionally drive. The in car one also seems to be outputting in mono despite declaring itself to be stereo, not sure if somebody has jerry rigged the outputs as it does seem to be coming through very "hot" if you have the balance control centred. 

[Zelandeth]

8-Tracks seem to be universally fiddly and ungrateful things to work on.  I've been really lucky in that my player hasn't needed any attention so far beyond a good clean and the occasional alignment tweak.

What's that big radio hiding under the workbench?  Has a Bush look to it...

[Split_Pin]

So, I think this morning I have concluded that the Rover 75 idea is running out of hope and time. 

As often happens, something else fouls up around the home requiring this money to be spent, like a fridge or oven so I would like to get something sooner rather than later. Difficult during current times as well.

I was thinking though, why is it when I have money burning a hole that the AS cars I have missed/dithered over through recent years are not for sale!

I'm thinking:

The red Jag XJ6 N118 MFV

The green E36 BMW Coupe M818MHX

The burgundy Honda Prelude

The Green Lexus LS400 'Mason' (now out of the shiteosphere)

*Drums fingers*

 

[anonymous user]

14 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Prescriptions to pick up and groceries to grab today, so a legally sanctioned trip out.

Of course I picked a sensible, compact vehicle for the trip.

Okay, maybe not...but I'm wanting to make sure everything is getting some exercise reasonably regularly.

Don't really want to take the Jag out in the wet until I've sorted the rust on the nearside front wing and refitted the arch liner to be honest so made sense.

Need to get a fresh set of wipers ordered, these are getting past it now and smearing quite a bit, despite my cleaning the blades a couple of days back.

That's quite some foliage growing on your dashboard, do you think you might need to give it a bit of a trim before the next MOT

[Jazoli]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

So, I think this morning I have concluded that the Rover 75 idea is running out of hope and time. 

As often happens, something else fouls up around the home requiring this money to be spent, like a fridge or oven so I would like to get something sooner rather than later. Difficult during current times as well.

I was thinking though, why is it when I have money burning a hole that the AS cars I have missed/dithered over through recent years are not for sale!

I'm thinking:

The red Jag XJ6 N118 MFV

The green E36 BMW Coupe M818MHX

The burgundy Honda Prelude

The Green Lexus LS400 'Mason' (now out of the shiteosphere)

*Drums fingers*

 

Eddie Honda now has the Jag, not sure whether he'll sell it though, I wish I'd bloody kept it now, and I owned it twice!

[somewhatfoolish]

12 hours ago, captain_70s said:

This has a broken locating wheel which I'll need to replace somehow... Don't suppose anybody knows where I could acquire a 1cm diameter nylon wheel?

Can it be solid? There's a few odd bits of nylon knocking about in the spares box, some might be about that diameter. Need to drill a concentric hole in the middle. WCPGW?

[Supernaut]

2 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

The green E36 BMW Coupe M818MHX

The Green Lexus LS400 'Mason' (now out of the shiteosphere)

 

Mason was blue.

I still miss both of those cars, too.

 

This is a strange feeling, having somebody else actually coveting cars I've previously owned.

 

 

[MorrisItalSLX]

12 hours ago, captain_70s said:

Don't suppose anybody knows where I could acquire a 1cm diameter nylon wheel?

Try a builders merchant or a window and door business, sliding doors and windows use small nylon wheels.

You have reminded me that I really need to fix my National Panasonic TR-5000A and RF-5410BA, amongst all the other broken electronics around the house.

[captain_70s]

1 hour ago, somewhatfoolish said:

Can it be solid? There's a few odd bits of nylon knocking about in the spares box, some might be about that diameter. Need to drill a concentric hole in the middle. WCPGW?

I mean, my current plan is to buy a load of 1cm buttons and glue them together, so it can't be any worse than that...

[captain_70s]

11 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

8-Tracks seem to be universally fiddly and ungrateful things to work on.  I've been really lucky in that my player hasn't needed any attention so far beyond a good clean and the occasional alignment tweak.

What's that big radio hiding under the workbench?  Has a Bush look to it...

1946 Pye 45A, it also isn't functional. It worked when I first acquired it but then it went "pop" about 8 years ago, think the wax caps have melted. May end up being another lockdown project as I have the service manual...

[richardmorris]

It was ushered inside a covered trailer before I could get a photo, but a lovely 1950s Mercedes 300SL roadster has just gone past my window. A quick google to find out what they're worth brought up the exact one. Just £775,000.

 

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1158724

[Tadhg Tiogar]

48 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

It was ushered inside a covered trailer before I could get a photo, but a lovely 1950s Mercedes 300SL roadster has just gone past my window. A quick google to find out what they're worth brought up the exact one. Just £775,000....

That's cheap compared with the BMW 507 roadster. I think those are valued at nearer a million. 

[Cord Fourteener]

23 hours ago, junkyarddog said:

Crusty wheel arch today.

Just the front half really,the rear of it was sound bar one little bit.

Separated the donor parts.

Inner arch was well rusty too.

Welded up,this took as long as the previous days work to do.

Weld sanded down,

Test fit of the arch.

Reasonably happy with that,another bit of grot  ticked off the list.

Supposed to be getting rain this evening, so car is now back in the shed.

Drivers side bonnet hinge/top of the A pillar is next,and for that the windscreen needs to come out.

A job for another day. 

 

Nice! Can you do my Volvo?

[Cord Fourteener]

I fixed my BMW E46 estate boot hinges! It took three of us and much swearing though.

Old pieces going to the recycling and maybe the inner hinges on eBay, new hinges in and boot more or less lined up.

@Twin-Cam you'll be pleased to know, I'm sure.

[Twin-Cam]

2 hours ago, Tim_E said:

I fixed my BMW E46 estate boot hinges! It took three of us and much swearing though.

Old pieces going to the recycling and maybe the inner hinges on eBay, new hinges in and boot more or less lined up.

@Twin-Cam you'll be pleased to know, I'm sure.

Finally!

[egg]

This appropriately named travel guitar arrived as my invacar left today thanks to @Six-cylinder, @Andyrew, @inconsistant and @Wingz123. Cheers all!

[stuboy]

Not touched the shalaxy in 4 days... started 1st time.... 

 

I'll leave it till Saturday see if starts then

[Wingz123]

Checked the tyre pressures at Sainsburys on my way back after filling up in the truck..... I thought I'd just check as it had been ages since I last did and these never normally seemed to lose air plus they are the sort of tyres that despite being at the correct pressures still have a bulgy bit at the bottom where youd think they dont have enough air in.

Fronts were at 29 rears at 39.....and they should be I hear you ask?????.......65 all round. Needless to say I now feel every bump and pothole in the road!!!

[Cord Fourteener]

31 minutes ago, Wingz123 said:

Checked the tyre pressures at Sainsburys on my way back after filling up in the truck..... I thought I'd just check as it had been ages since I last did and these never normally seemed to lose air plus they are the sort of tyres that despite being at the correct pressures still have a bulgy bit at the bottom where youd think they dont have enough air in.

Fronts were at 29 rears at 39.....and they should be I hear you ask?????.......65 all round. Needless to say I now feel every bump and pothole in the road!!!

I always try to keep a working inflator at home so I don't have to pay 50p every fortnight. Also I can put in the cold inflation pressures without having to do physics every time with tyres being hot when calling in to the pump.

My News: oops.

See photo.

[Bren]

The vectra has become more difficult to start - I was putting off buying a battery due to not really using the car but I have had to bite the bullet. Besides I did'nt want to end up putting a starter on as well.

[hairnet]

2 hours ago, stuboy said:

Not touched the shalaxy in 4 days... started 1st time.... 

 

I'll leave it till Saturday see if starts then

shalambralaxy obvs

 

[nigel bickle]

4 days? You serious. 

We leave some of ours months, and I’d be very pissed if they didn’t spark up pretty damn quick.    

[Zelandeth]

43 minutes ago, nigel bickle said:

4 days? You serious. 

We leave some of ours months, and I’d be very pissed if they didn’t spark up pretty damn quick.    

As I recall they've been having an issues with a parasitic battery drain issue.

Yet another prescription to collect (it would be really nice if they would just let me order some of it a few days early so I could combine trips rather than making four trips for four different medications).

Exclusively short journeys are not me friend where economy is concerned.

12 miles since I filled up and the gauge has already dropped by a good 1/8"!

[Vince70]

Why is it you start a simple 20 minute job and 3 hours later you have half the car lying on the floor.

Yesterday all I wanted to do was change the outer door handles on my E36 and tried all sorts of tools to get the latch to move to no avail and took the door cards off etc and still couldn’t move them.

I go out there this morning and insert an old Allen key through the service hole only for it to click first time on both doors and for the handles to fall straight out after trying about 100 times yesterday.

All done now and hopefully the  handle rubbers should last a few years before doing them again 

 

[SiC]

17 hours ago, nigel bickle said:

4 days? You serious. 

We leave some of ours months, and I’d be very pissed if they didn’t spark up pretty damn quick.    

The Boxster lasts about three weeks off charge before needing fusebox hotwiring to open the bonnet for battery access to jump start. After a week, the remote keyfob receiver shuts down and you need to use the key in the door to unlock. You can just tell that the engineers had a lot of trouble getting parasitic drain down on them. The 996 has the same problems. 

Our 2010 A4 however has its original factory battery and will still happily restart after two to three weeks sitting stationary. That is despite far more electronics in it than the Boxster. 

[iainrcz]

There have been quite a few stories on the GT 86/BRZ forums of dead batteries.
Mine however is fine, possibly helps I've had it on my trickle charger once or twice.

[barefoot]

I fired up the bay & the 944 on the last day of March for the first time this year. 

Then I tucked them away back on the drive & wedged them in with the 75. 

I've just fired that up again without any bother this morning.

[Kiltox]

I was amazed by the 2015 Clio I had lying around for a bit - it would start no problem after months of sitting!

AGM battery I suppose, are they better for it?